New Birth

“No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again… You must be born again.” John 3:3, 7 (NIV)

The Bible speaks about the miracle of regeneration in several different ways. Here, the apostle John talks about the new birth, in what is probably the best-known passage on regeneration in the whole Bible.

Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (3:8).

The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners through the Word of God: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Peter uses the analogy of how human life begins. The living seed comes, and in a moment, a new life is conceived. The seed does not always bring new life, but there is no new life without the seed. You are born again by the living seed of the Word of God.

You may ask, “Instead of using the word ‘regeneration’ why don’t you just say you’re talking about being ‘born again?’” Because in our culture, the words “born again” have been so abused that they have lost their meaning. Many people in our country would say that they are born again, but they do not love Christ, and they do not live in a way that is different from the world.

The new birth is Christ regenerating your soul. It is a miracle of such breathtaking proportions that it can only be compared to the re-creation of the heavens and the earth.

Are you familiar with the term “born again”? What does it mean to you?

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near - So Far. Colin is the President and Teacher for Unlocking the Bible. Follow him on Twitter.

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